Apparatus for the manufacture of ice.



No. 726,852- PATENTED, MAY 5, 1903f L. BLUGK. 1' APPARATUS FOR THEMANUFACTURE OF ICE.

' APPLICATION rnnn r113. 16, 1902.

no MODEL.

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Q ma U iTED TATEES Patented May 5, 1903.

FFICE.

APPARATUS FOFi THE MANUFACTURE QF ICE.

:PEGIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 726,852, dated May 5,1903. Application filed February 15, 1902. gerial No. 94,225. (Nomodel.)

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LOUIS BLOCK, a citizen of the United States,residing at Mamaroneck, Westchester coun ty,in the State of New York,have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Apparatus for theManufacture of Ice, of which the'following is a specification.

The invention applies to the system of ice manufacture in which thewater to be frozen is held in cans of thin metal and immersed in a tankof cold brine. The freezing com-' mences on the surfaces and extendsinward until the whole is frozen. As the ice forms on the exterior, itcompels the impurities in the water to aggregate in the smaller quantityof water remaining in the middle. If the operation as ordinarilyconducted is arrested at the proper stage, the can may be lifted out ofthe brine-tank, and on subsequently i'mmersing it in a bath of tepidwater to thaw it clear the ice comes out in a pure condition, with anempty space in the middle flared or trumpet-shaped at its lower end,which space is not seriously objectionable; butif the lifting of the canfrom the brine is done too soon the cavity in the centerwill beunreasonably large, and if, on the other hand, it is delayed too long astill greater evil will result from the whole having become'solid, witha quantity of impure water frozen in, constituting what is known in thetrade as a core.

The object of my invention is to avoid the necessity for accuratelytiming the, work. I lead compressed air to the brine-tank and blow up asmall stream of bubbles through the center of each can during the mainportion of the freezing operation. Near the close the freezing stops theascent, and I cause the continued accession of air to accumulate in thelower portion and force out the remaining water against a resistancewhich is nicely adjusted so as to be sufficient to resist the weight ofthe water, but will yield to the force when such pressure is increasedby the compressed air. By a modified form I force the air into theenveloped portion of the can and through a valve in the insulatedportion of the inner bottom and let it bubble up through the water untilthe freezing process is completed.

The following is a description of what I con- 2 is a-plan View of one ofthe cans. and 5 are on a larger scale. Fig. 3 is a censider the bestmeans of carrying out the invention.

- The accompanying drawings form apart of this specification.

Figure 1 is a section through a portion of a series of cans andassociated parts in the tank of-brine kept at a very low temperature byany suitable means. I have indicated pipes F conveying expanded ammonia.Fig. Figs. 3, 4,

tral vertical section" through the lower portion of a can at ,thecommencement of the freezing operation. Fig. 4 is a-correspondingsection showing the condition when the gradually-forming ice has closedthe central passage and arrested the previously-free ascent of theair-bubbles. Fig. 5 is a corresponding section showing the same atalittle later stage, when the compressed air which continues to bereceived has accumulated above the impure water vand'forced it downward.Fig. 6 is a corresponding section showing the condition when a can istemporarily plunged in another tank to thaw the surface and release thecake of ice. It shows how tepid water is admitted to thaw the bottom.Fig. 7 shows the can in a nearly-inverted position in the act ofdischarging the ice and also the tepid water. Fig. 8 is a centralvertical section of a portion, on a larger scale, in the ordinary erectposition. Fig. 9 isacrosssection showing a modification having aflexible bottom dome-shaped. Fig. 10 shows the same with the flexiblebottom domed downward. Fig. 11 shows a portion .of the center of thismodification on the same scale as Fig. 8. Fig. 12 is a vertical sectionshowing'still another modification. Fig. 13 is a vertical sectionshowing still another modification.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all thefigures where they appear.

A is a can of galvanized sheetdron or other suitable material of theordinary size and having its main portion of the standard rectangularform.

A is the metallic portion of the bottom.

B is a non-conducting portion. Wood will serve well.

D is an envelop, which I will term an aircasing, inclosing the bottom ofthe can A and small escape of air.

extending a little distance up the sides with its upper portioncontracted and secured by rivets or by solder, or both. The chamber d,inclosed between this air-casing and the can, forms an effectualnon-conductor to retain the warmth of the water in the lower portion ofthe can A. It also serves to receive tepid water at a later stage towarm the bottom of the can and facilitate the removal of the icecake.

E is a pipe leading from the air-casing D within the can and extending alittle above the top thereof, which performs important functions to bedescribed farther on. The upper end of the pipe E is adapted to receiveand form a tight junction with a length of hose P from a short branchpipe R, connected to a line-pipe R, which latter extends over the brine,but under the covers in the brinetank Z, and is supplied with compressedair by means of a pump Q. The pump maintains a pressure in the pipeR offour or five pounds above atmosphere. The delivery of t such air throughthe hose P is controlled by a stop-cock T, operated at will by theattendant and by which it may be cut off entirely when required. Thispassageis small, so that even when fully open it allows but a Thiseconomizes the consumption of the compressed air under all possibleconditions.

A metallic center piece 0, preferably brass, screwed or otherwise firmlyset in the wood base B, supports a removable seat C for a self-actingvalve I, arranged to open upward. This seat is screwed into place andallows of easily removing the valve and seat for repairs.

M is a bent pipe inclosed in the chamber d and connecting the lower endof the pipe E with the lower end of the seat 0.

Another valve V opens downward. It is held up to its seat by acoiledspring X, which abuts on the removable seat G which latter is tappedinto the bottom of the passage. This is also easy to remove and repairor replace. ThespringXmaybeadjustedbyturning the nut and jam-nut V V toraise and lower it. The tension should be adjusted so that it will holdthe valve V reliably to its seat against the hydrostatic pressure of thewater, but will yield and allow the valve to open and discharge waterdownward when that pressure is much exceeded.

The pipe E may extend up outside; but preferably it is within the can.Its best location is in one corner. It need not be large. Two furtherpipes O O extend up from the air-chamber in other corners of the can andform two small but free communications between the chamber 61 and theatmos phere. These should be of such caliber as to allow water to flowliberally down through one and air to escape upward through the otherwhen the whole is immersed in tepid water to liberate the ice and toallow a corresponding reverse flow of air and water at a little laterperiod when the whole is partially inverted to discharge the ice andempty the water from the space (1. A cork 0 may be inserted at the topof each pipe 0 0 during the period while the ice is forming and removedwhen the can is to be immersed in the tepid-water tank Y and the tepidwater is to be admitted and subsequently discharged.

My invention does not prevent the formation of a core-cavity, whichassumes the ordinary tapered and approximately trumpet like form, asindicated in Fig. 4. That cavity is filled with water which may containimpurities. At a late stage I expel that water automatically and supplyits place with air. When my can A, nearly filled with fresh water to befrozen, stands in the brine in the tank Z and the hose P is connected tothe pipe E and the cock T is opened, the stream of air delivered throughthe contracted aperture of the valve T flows slowly through the pipe Eand the bent pipe M, lifts the valve I, and rises in small bubbles inthe center of the can and escapes at the top. This condition, the airexercising no influence except to gently agitate the water in the can,is continued, while the refrigerating influence of the brine actingthrough the thin metallic sides of the center of the can A forms agradually-increasing coating of ice around it. This coating continuesbelow the junction of the air-casing D, because the metal of the can Aconducts the caloric upward from below to the exposed portion, where itcan be taken up by the brine. The part B must be so good a non-conductorthat the valve and adjacent parts will retain sufficient warmth to avoidthe formation of ice there. The freezing action proceeds rapidly in thecan above the air-casing D until it completely fills with ice the upperand mid-height portions ofthecan. When thisstepis reached, a newcondition obtains, as follows: The air forced downward through thepipeE,nolonger allowed to escape upward through the can, is arrested andby virtue of the continued flow through the contracted aperture providedby the valve T, due to the superior tension in the pipe R, increases inpressure, continuing to How up, as before, but with a higher pressure,through the valve I and to displace the water from the core-space and tofill its place with compressed air, beginning, of course, in the apex ortop. The first effect of this is to depress, through the valve V, thewater in the can containing impurities. The delivery of the compressedair upward through the valve I and the delivery of the stained waterdownward through the valve V will proceed continuously until the wateris all expelled, after which if it shall be allowed to remain neglectedand the precaution has not been taken to insert the corks O the air willfollow the water downward, moving slowly through the valve V into thespace (1 and thence upward idly, escaping through one or both of thepipes O 0; but the restraint imposed by the contracted aperture in thecock '1 will pre- IIO Vent any serious loss ofthe compressed air, Theimpure even under these conditions. water expelled through V will lieharmless in the bottom of the air-chamber cl. It will now be seen thatwhen the freezing is completed and the can is lifted out of thebrinetank the detaching of the ice from the can is effected in theordinary manner by immersing the can and its contents in a tank of tepidwater. The warmth thus applied directly to the upper and mid-heightportions of the can will thaw a thin coatingin the ordinary longapprovedmanner. Ieffect the almost equally rapiddetaching of the ice which willform in a more or less thick coating within the lower portionof thesides and near the periphery of the bottom by sinking the can with itscontents sufficiently into the tepid water to allow such water to flowdown through the pipe E and fill the chamber cl. My experiments indicatethat the liberation of the ice from the metallic portion of the bottom,and if the freezing has through long delay proceeded so far as to causethe ice cake to adhere to the valve or adjacent parts, the liberationfrom these parts also will be very nearly simultaneous with theliberation from the plane rectangular portion of the'can A above. Sosoon as so much thawingis effected the can and its contained ice areeasily separated, and on the emergence of theice cake from the can anywaterremaining liquid in the can a will flow away. If any stained wateris frozen into the lower end of the ice cake,.it will be in the sunkportion of the bottom below the bottom of the ice cake proper, and suchobjectionable ice is easily separated by a few strokes of an axe and thepure ice is readyfor delivery and use. The emptying of the Water iseffected by thesame partial inverting of the can. In this position thesmall quantity of water which has been forced down from the can throughthevalve V and also the larger quantity of water received in a tepidcondition through the pipes O or O, mingled together in the space (Z, isdischarged through one pipe, 0, while air may enter to supply its placein the chamber (1 through the other pipe, 0. As soon as properly drainedthe can may be again set upright, filled, and connected as before, andthe operationmay be repeated indefinitely.

Modifications may be made without departing from the principle orsacrificing the advantage of the invention. The forms and proportions ofthe parts may be varied within wide limits. The pipe E may be half-roundand apply with the flat-side against the interior of the can, or it maybe round or any other forms of cross-section. In any form it may, ifpreferred, extend. up and down the exterior instead of the interior ofthe can. Such arrangement is-shown in dottedlinesin Fig. 9. Forming thevalve-seats each in. a

separate piece from the casting O, as shown in Fig. 8, facilitates theremoval of a valve and its seat for examination or repairs withoutdisturbing the other parts, and I .prefer such construction; but theseat and casting may be more simply made all in one, as indicated in theearlier figures. Insteadof the nut V and jam-nut V on the upper end ofably against the simple hydrostatic pressure of the filled can-but willopen and allow the delivery of water downward as soon as the pressurefrom above is increased by the freezing.

Figs. 9 and 10 show a modification to which I attach much importance. Itdiffers materially from the form first and mainly shown in havinganannular. portion of the bottom of the can flexible. Such may besufficiently thick dome-shaped rubber adaptedto spring up. I can use asheet of rubber which is. naturally planeor even a sheet of otheryielding material,as leather. The bent pipe shown as rigid should beflexible hose when the yielding diaphragm is .used. There may be nopipes O 0, but simply a removable plug W in a hole. in one of the. sidesof the easing D, with all theother. parts as before described. Such isshown in Fig. 10.. To operate with this form of the invention, theplug Wmust be removed before the can is plunged gives one advantage-thecompressed air will not be allowed to wasteatall, no matter how long theemptying and rechargingof the can is postponed. As soon as the air hasforced down water enough to raise the .pressure in the spaced to twoatmospheres, or whatever may be the pressure in thepipe R, the receptionof airwill stop. Loan with the pipes O O by only about the same amountof trouble attain the same end. This is effected, as before suggested,by simply insertingcorks or other plugs in the top of each-pipe O andO". In such caseI keep the plug or plugsremoved only while the can.is-rimmersedin the tepid water and while it .is afterward. heldpartially-inverted to empty.

A good form for manyreasons is shownin Fig. 12. In this the pipe M isdispensed-with, a cork 0 being tightlyset in each pipe 0 and O and. thepressure of the airreceived through the pipe E is feltin'the wholebottom I the freezing in the water above and the movement of the airstops, only a smallv air-space is left'unfilled inthe bottom of thecan.

It may be preferable in some cases for economy of construction or otherreasons to have the bottom plane instead of depressed. Fig. 13 showssuch a construction.

The envelop D may be of various materials, as papier-mach madewaterproof, or it may be wood. When wood is used in any part, I proposeto saturate it with linseed or other oil or with paraffin to reduce thechance of adhesion of the ice thereto.

Parts of the invention can be omitted entirely. I believe the valve Vcan be thus dispensed with, especially when the bottom is flexible, asshown in Fig. 9. When thus used, the flexible portion should be so muchdomed that when the freezing in the main portion of the can stops theascent of the air and the'air accumulates in a compressed condition overthe stained water in the corespace remaining near the bottom the watercan be depressed sufficiently by the simple sinking of the bottom. Iprefer to use both valves, as shown. The stop-cock T affords means forvarying the size of the contracted aperture thereby provided; but theinvention may be worked successfully with a contracted aperture of fixedsize in its place.

I claim as my invention- 1. An ice'can A, having an exterior casing Daround the bottom extending upward only a portion of the height, thespace between the two casings and across under the bottom constituting achamber adapted to inclose air during the freezing period and havingpipes O O to serve for the introduction of tepid water at a later periodto allow its warmth to thaw the ad jaccnt surface of the ice and rapidlyrelease the ice cake, all substantially as herein specified.

2. A can A having a pipe extending up and down within it, a bottom Bwhich is a good non-conductor of heat, and a chamber d enveloping itsbase, in combination with a selfacting valve I opening npwardin suchbottom, and provisions for leading air under pressure to such valve allarranged to serve substantially as herein specified.

3. A canAhaviuga chamber (1 enveloping its base, a bottom B whichis agood non-conductor of heat, a self-acting valve I opening upward in suchbottom and provisions for leading air under pressure to such valve, incombination with an air-compressor Q, pipe R, a contracted aperture T,and connection P for leading the air slowly therethrough into the canand releasing it in the bottom thereof, all substantially as hereinspecified.

4. A can A having a chamber d enveloping its base, a non-conductingbottom B, a selfacting valve I opening upward in such bottom andprovisionsincluding a pipe Ewithin the can for leading the air underpressure to such valve, in combination with an air-compressor Q, pipe R,a contracted aperture T restraining the flow to the can, and also withone or more additional pipes O 0' arranged to serve the severalfunctions of a vent for air and a means for admitting tepid water to thechamber at and for discharging the same, all arranged to servesubstantially as herein specified.

5. A can having a chamber d enveloping its base, a bottom B, aself-acting valve I opening upward in such bottom and provisions forleading air under pressure to such valve, in combination with an aircompressor Q, pipe R, a contracted aperture T and a connection P forleading air slowly therefrom to the can, with a pipe E for conductingair downward under pressure, and one or more additional pipes arrangedto serve the several functions of a vent for air and a means foradmitting tepid water to the chamber d and discharging the same, aconnection M in such chamber, and the additional valve V openingdownward, conditioned as described so that the air will accumulate inthe interior of the can and force out the remaining water, adapted toretain the water until the freezing is far advanced and then tofacilitate the discharge of the impure water, allsubstantially as hereinspecified.

6. A can A having a chamber cZ enveloping its base, a non-conductingbottom B, a selfacting valve I opening upward in such bottom andprovisions for leading air under pressure to such valve, in combinationwith an air-compressor Q, pipe R, a contracted aperture T, andconnections P for leading air slowly therefrom to the can, with a pipe 0arranged to serve as a means for admitting tepid water to the chamber dand discharging the same, a connection M in such chamber, and anadditional valve V and a spring X holding such valve yieldingly close,and means Y for adjusting such force holding such valve to its seat,conditioned as de scribed so that the air will accumulate in theinterior of the can and force out the remaining water, all substantiallyas herein specified.

In testimony that I claim the invention above set forth I affix mysignature in presence of two witnesses.

LOUIS BLOCK. Witnesses:

J. B. OLAU'rIoE, M. F. BOYLE.

